


Dead Yet So Alive

by Ladybird_Sparrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, M/M, POV Regulus Black, Pining Regulus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:01:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22172245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ladybird_Sparrow/pseuds/Ladybird_Sparrow
Summary: January Challenge Time prompt by SpokenSoftly [mlemmon] in CoS Discord Server.An impromptu drinking session with his brother's godson and his neighbor's tutor went out of this world and Regulus found himself stuck between two Dark Lords.Edit:Beta by moonlight-modoki on discord
Relationships: Harry Potter/Tom Riddle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 47





	Dead Yet So Alive

**Author's Note:**

> Oh no. I started another one. I'm still not sure with the number of chapters, it's supposed to be a one-shot.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, please don't sue me.

Regulus Black released the cylinder latch of his revolver and mulled over what became of his life. The madness started with the unnamed bottle of vintage wine kept inside a box he won at an auction. All he ever wanted was the antique elegant box that his mother would have liked, then forget about in a month or two.

He slid one bullet after another inside the cylinder as he pictured how it all went downhill from there.

* * *

Regulus never had practice in consoling friends. 

He's also never much of a drinker so he gave the old bottle of wine to his friend. The said friend who was a younger distant cousin named Harry, crashed his apartment when he got dumped by a ‘Weasley’ for some common ‘Thomas’ from a typical college varsity team. 

The younger man was busy bawling on the kitchen floor. He didn’t notice the bottle of wine that Regulus placed beside him after the failed attempt to console his brokenhearted arse. He did not sign up for this kind of social obligation, distant cousin or not.

Then out the window, Regulus saw the mysterious tutor knocking on his neighbor’s front door. Apparently, the hot brown headed tutor never got the message that they were on vacation. Regulus was very smitten about the older man for over half a year and counting but never mustered enough strength to talk to him. 

Slightly irritated at his cousin’s drama, he decided that what the younger man needed was some time alone. So he went out and told the tutor that his neighbors were gone for the weekend. Introductions were made and after their hands shook, he finally got his name. Tom Riddle.

Of course, that was when his cousin decided it was a great idea to smash his plates one by one on the marble counter. After two hours past, a ruined kitchen and a few cans of beer later, they were all settled nicely in the leather couches. Laughter bounced around his spacious modern living room. Harry’s head was on Tom’s lap and both of them chortled at a joke Regulus never understood. Since that moment, his cousin wasn’t his friend.

He got up and went to the bathroom to relieve himself, as well as to not witness them snog. He was aching for a smoke and was about to go out on the porch to have one. Instead, Regulus saw the old bottle of wine on the floor. Still, nobody had noticed it. The scene saddened him. He felt sympathy for the ignored liquor surrounded by broken pieces of expensive porcelain. He took it and decided that it would do as a better companion than the two busy lovebirds in his living room. 

A glass grabbed. Wine was poured. A sip taken. Regulus gagged. The wine tasted horrible. He moved towards the fridge to look for another drink that could wash down the godawful taste, but the room spun before he could take another step. 

His eyesight dimmed for a second then suddenly, visions flashed before his eyes. He was an unloved prince from a city of gold. He was a pirate who locked a monster's heart inside a chest. He was a dutiful son cared for by a loyal elf.

His very soul sang. Somehow, though he doesn’t know how, he knew these were his. His memories. He lived through them. Bits and pieces of his past lives. 

Regulus released his breath and then he was back inside his broken kitchen. One glance at the clock told him that barely any time had passed. But to him, it felt like days had gone. The blurry exhausting monotonous working days that merged together, that made it hard to recall the details. Then suddenly it stopped. You’re wide awake.

Regulus clutched his head and pulled his inky black hair. He couldn’t think of any kind of hallucinatory drug that could do this. Not that he would be able to tell. His expertise lies in buying and selling stocks. He’ll have to consult Sev to examine it. In fact, he wanted to do it now.

Just when he was about to call his toxicologist friend, Harry walked in followed by Tom. The former giggled while the latter smirked.

“Reggie, Tom asked what flavor of pizza do you-- Oh, what have you got there?” His cousin saw the opened bottle on the counter and the wine glass. It still has quite a bit of the horrible liquor that was most likely drugged with something potent.

“Just a bottle you missed in your earlier tantrum,” Regulus said with both of his brows raised. It was fortunate that his cousin didn’t notice how his voice shook. Harry rudely stuck out his tongue but smiled sheepishly back afterward.

“I’m terribly sorry about all of this.” His cousin rubbed the back of his neck and gestured at the ruined place. “I’ll replace and clean them all up later, and I’ll pay for our dinner! How does that sound?” Meanwhile, Tom sauntered towards him with a cryptic look in his eye. Then he reached out, took the glass close to his face and sniffed. 

“There’s something strange with the scent. Vintage?” Tom swirled the wine inside the glass and was about to take a sip but Regulus stopped him.

“Don’t.” Or he tried to. His bratty cousin tried to playfully take the wine glass from Tom’s grasp.

“Don’t you dare ignore me, my soon-to-be-professor!”

With a hearty laugh, he took advantage of their height difference. The tutor moved the glass away from his short cousin and drained the glass. He didn’t choke as Regulus did earlier, but Tom stopped moving. Slowly, his arm lowered. Eyes dilated. The color drained from his face. After a heartbeat or two, Tom gasped and heavily set the glass on the marble counter with a loud thunk. Regulus thought he would break it.

“What happened?” His cousin asked.

Tom carded his fingers through his brown locks before he looked at both of them with an ominous glint in his eye. His voice sounded breathless.

“Everything.”

* * *

Thoughts about ordering pizza forgotten, the three of them settled in the dining room and shared a bottle of whiskey. Tom asked him what he saw first. With reluctance, the man complied. Regulus told what he could between puffs of smoke from his cigarette. It was disjointed but Tom drank his every word. Regulus was happy with the attention. Harry listened in too but would sometimes laugh at the absurd tales while he poured their drinks and prepared snacks. When Regulus ran out of stories to tell, Tom began his.

He started out with how his face was showered with warm blood as he cut off a giant’s head. Harry’s grip on the apple he was cutting loosened and fell, but he was able to catch it in time before it bounced off the table. Then Tom resumed with his gruesome story and ended it with him serving the hearts of his enemies to his people. Harry stopped eating his apple. Regulus nervously lit another cigarette.

Then Tom began another tale. He told them about the intensity and sheer power of raising the ocean that sunk Atlantis. He described how vengeance felt when his years of sorrow finally bore fruit, though he couldn’t tell why he did so in the first place. He concluded with less enthusiasm that he somehow died satisfied. Regulus noted how bewildered Tom sounded when he talked about it. As if the very thought was absurd.

His cousin laughed at Tom’s baffled tone, but it quickly died when Tom’s gaze turned deadly as his eyes locked onto Harry. Then he went ahead with another story.

He told them about how he survived the bombings in WWII while living in an orphanage. How he was introduced to his heritage, a world full of witches and wizards when he was eleven. Regulus perked up at that. Tom added how he rose to become the greatest wizard that ever lived. Until it ended. All his hard work, dreams and aspirations were thwarted by a helpless green-eyed baby.

Regulus' cousin couldn’t help it. Harry fell out of his chair and rolled on the floor howling with laughter. In response, Regulus downed his whiskey in one gulp.

“You won’t be laughing like a moron if you tried it, Harry,” Regulus said to the brat. Harry wiped away his tears.

“Sorry, gentlemen.” He giggled. His green eyes twinkled merrily. “I don’t do drugs.” Might be all the alcohol affecting his brain.

“There’s no drug that could create that kind of hallucination. At least, not that fast.” Tom commented before he stood up. He knocked back his whiskey then slammed the glass back on the table before he moved towards the kitchen. Regulus wished they would take more care when handling his property. 

Harry got back to his seat and poured the next round of shots. His words slurred a bit.

“‘Tis funny how my godfather and your parents, and all the other people you knew were always there in these vivid dreams.” His cousin cocked his head back and drank another shot of whiskey. He hissed from the burning feeling that trailed down his throat. “Was Tom and I in these hallucinations of yours?”

“Maybe?” His cigarette glowed for the last time. He breathes out the smoke before he jabbed the still more than a half-butt cigarette in his crystal ashtray. “I don’t know. James and Lily were there. But the memories were all bits and pieces.”

“Memories? Do you really believe that? That these were your past lives?”

“Harry, I don’t know how to explain it. Of course, it must be some kind of drug, but somehow,” he sighed and looked away. “I could feel that all of the things I saw happened. I could feel it deep inside my soul.”

Both of them jumped when Tom slammed the old unnamed bottle on the table between the two of them.

“Geezus, Tom!” Regulus told the tutor. Harry let out a nervous laugh.

“Voldemort.” Tom suddenly said. Regulus flinched in reflex and was shocked by the familiarity of it.

“Volde-what-now? Is that french?” Harry lifted his eyeglasses and placed it on top of his head. Then he inspected the old bottle so close to his face. Tom lets out a chuckle as he gently took the bottle away from his young cousin and poured the old spiked wine into Harry’s shot glass.

“In my previous life, I was best known as Voldemort.”

“What! Y-you’re…” Regulus couldn’t muster the strength to finish what he was about to say. Tom briefly met his eyes then pushed the shot glass closer towards his cousin.

“Drink, Harry.” His cousin met both their eyes before he rolled his.

“Wow. I see what this is now. Where’s the camera, Reggie?” Regulus covered his face with both of his palms. His hands shook. He doesn’t know what was going on. And if it was true that Tom was Voldemort…

“Whatever. Cheers.” Harry took the shot and drank. Like him, his cousin gagged but also complained about the taste. Then Harry grimaced and curled his body inwards. They could hear him groan and see him tremble. But soon, something completely different started to happen.

At first, they started to hear soft hissing sounds that rapidly got louder. Regulus stared around widely. The room was suddenly full of snakes. He was startled out of his chair when a snake came out of nowhere poised to strike on the table near him. The snake then opened its mouth, pushed its tongue out and rolled over showing its belly. 

Laughter was heard from Harry’s direction. It was his voice but it wasn’t the same childish giggle that echoed his walls. Regulus froze when he turned to look at him. He could feel the hair on the back of his neck stood up as he gazed into the unnatural glowing emerald eyes of his cousin.

“That’s a hognose snake. They like to play dead.” Tom spoke. Regulus was surprised to see him so relaxed with two vicious-looking snakes draped on his shoulder and arm. “You spooked it when it tried to scare you.” Then again, if this man was the Dark Lord from his memories, he should’ve expected it.

A hiss came out from the being’s mouth. The snake who played dead rolled back upside and started to slither towards the unknown person that currently occupied Harry’s body. The hognose’s hisses sounded a bit like a snicker and the being chuckled back. He looked at the snake with so much affection while he petted it. 

Then the being that was not his cousin, spoke in a language both of the other men did not understand. Glowing eyes looked up at them and seemed to be expecting an answer. The being rolled his eyes, not unlike their Harry and cleared his throat.

“Speech should be recognizable now, yes?” 

Regulus stood stiffly and doesn’t know how to answer. The being’s smile looked old and weary. Memories of past lives or not, this person in front of them was clearly not the son of James and Lily.

“Who exactly are you?” Regulus was thankful that Tom, (his Dark Lord?) had asked. The being relaxed further in his seat and sighed. He looked far into the distance and spoke slowly as if his tongue was gradually getting used to words his mouth doesn’t speak.

“Someone villainized throughout history, for championing magic and fighting for the rights and protection of our people.” The little snake he held in his hands looked comfortable and content. 

“Are you... another Dark Lord?” Regulus blurted out. The being smiled with mirth.

“From examining this vessel’s memories, you two were intimately acquainted with the term.”

“You’re Salazar Slytherin,” Tom said and the being bowed.

“It was fortunate that you managed to get the potion to me. Or to be more precise, to my vessel. I am grateful for your actions.”

“Potion? And what vessel?” Regulus started to panic. The being, Salazar Slytherin, stretched out his right arm and the old bottle of wine flew gently towards him. Wandless magic whispered his newly found memories. He could see Tom Riddle smile widely from the corner of his eye.

“I created this potion and guaranteed it to exist in every world remade as a last resort. It will never dry up and the bottle will never be empty of it. In the end, I couldn’t bear to leave the ritual to its own devices while mudblood and mudblood lovers continue to destroy our world. But I didn’t have time to create a better way to ensure my return.” Slytherin started to get lost in his own dark thoughts. His words brought more questions than answers and Regulus doesn’t know where to begin. Additionally, the snakes surrounding them was getting agitated. Tom sighed, pulled out a chair and sat.

“Why don’t we start with Harry’s body being your vessel.” His Dark Lord sounded elated.


End file.
